ARLINGTON, Texas —Eli Manning got through his 200th consecutive regular season start, but many who watched the Giants’ season opener will doubt he gets to 215.

The Giants’ offensive line was what so many feared it would be in Sunday night’s 19-3 loss to the Cowboys in front of 93,183 at AT&T Stadium.

Manning was sacked three times and under duress for most of the game. The rushing attack was non-existent. The offense couldn’t stay on the field and failed to break the 20-point plateau for their seventh straight game dating back to last season.

In other words, all the Giants’ offensive line optimism and talk of continuity and improvement looked like just that against Dallas – talk. It was not a good night for the offense, and certainly not for the line.

Here is a comprehensive report card on each starting offensive line, as well as the unit as a whole in several key team-related areas. The report card is done without the benefit of a film review, so some grades and notes could be changed later:

INDIVIDUAL GRADES:

ereck-flowers.jpg

LT Ereck Flowers: Flowers was fine in the first half. He was not to begin the second half. The third-year tackle missed a block (and appeared to flat-out give up on it too) that could have sprung wideout Sterling Shepard for a big run on an end-around. He then was beaten badly by defensive end Charles Tepper for a sack inside the Dallas 5, and the Giants had to settle for a field goal down 16.

Flowers did have a good block to set up a cutback lane for running back Orleans Darkwa’s 12-yard gain, tied for the Giants’ longest offensive play in the first half. The Giants don’t run to his side as often as you’d think with run blocking being his supposed strength, though. His still-existent technique issues were evident throughout the night, but he was able to get away with them enough to prevent disastrous snaps from piling up.

After four preseason games and one regular season game, there is still no evidence Flowers’ much-hyped offseason training regimen will translate to significant on-field improvements. If the Giants can get him to consistently play at his first-half level, they’ll take it. But even one bad series can alter a game. GRADE: C-

LG Justin Pugh: Pugh had a solid game by all indications. He’s the Giants’ best offensive lineman at this point, and it’s imperative they find a way to get him re-signed after this season. If the Giants’ line keeps trending the way it is, they may have no choice but to use the franchise tag on Pugh and prevent him from reaching the open market. They can’t let him get away with the issues they have at other positions. GRADE: B